Ophiura 2728

F 82596, 159794.

Family - Ophiuridae.

Description

The disc is flat, 9 mm diameter. The radial shields are triangular with rounded corners, separated and parallel to one another, with 1–3 plates between them; 1.2–1.6 times long as wide, and length 0.12 times d.d. The dorsal surface is covered by plates, no spines/granules or plates, bearing spines/granules (granulised plates), with a visible diameter of 0.15–0.7 mm, overlapping or touching; primary plates visible. Disc spines or granules of one type (granulised plates), dome-shaped. The spines are up to 0.05–0.15 mm long, and 0.5–1 times high as wide; sparsely distributed. Arm comb present, with papillae blunt or round ended, as wide as long, separated radially.

The ventral interradial surface is plated. The oral shields are exposed, pentagonal, wider than long or as long as wide. The adoral shields are exposed, extending to lateral edge of oral shield, separated radially, meeting interradially. Bursal slits extend from the oral shield to the disc margin, bordered by spines or papillae or not bordered by spines or papillae. The jaw is as wide as long or wider than long, with one or two (tending toward a cluster), pointed or tapering apical papilla, longer than wide. Oral papillae are present along each jaw angle in a series, pointed or quadrangular. The oral tentacle pore is located out of the jaw on top of the ventral disc, with a ring of scales surrounding the pore.

The specimen has five arms, unbranched, moniliform, 3–5 times d.d. Dorsal arm plates, contiguous, without spines/granules; fan-shaped, and 1.4–1.7 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are separated from the third plate or contiguous with the third plate, bell-shaped, and 0.9–1.1 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments separated, squashed teardrop, and 0.7–0.8 times long as wide. Tentacle pores along the arm, with several scales as a ring of many scales around the pore, reducing in number, covering the pore, pointed or oval. There are 1–2 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 3 on the first free segments. The spines are adpressed to arm, extending laterally, subequal, and 0.25–0.75 times as long as one arm segment, pointed or blunt, cylindrical.

Description exported from Delta key and to be finalised when DNA sampling completed. Note species description and image characters may vary slightly in animals of different size within the same species.

Cite this publication as: "T O'Hara (2010). ‘Ophiuroids from deep sea southern Australia. Museum Victoria. Version: 1.0 http://www.museumvictoria.com.au/stars"
Information updated 5 February 2010

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